Solitude is not what we might rank a high priority for us in 2012. Most likely, it is not gonna be the word we choose as our focus word for the year. But stop to consider what Chuck Swindoll has to say about it in his book, “Intimacy with the Almighty. He encourages a third decision that will help develop our intimacy with God: cultivate serenity by practicing the discipline of solitude.
Solitude.
Chuck refers to solitude as the furnace of transformation. In solitude, struggles occur that no one else knows about; inner battles are fought here. Henri Nouwen says that solitude “gets rid of our scaffolding.” I love that picture, and at the same time scares me to death.
Swindoll adds, “The task is to persevere in my solitude until all my seductive visitors get tired of pounding on my door and leave me alone.”
Self-Analysis.
1 Corinthians 11:28-31 exhorts each person to examine himself. It goes on to say that many are weak and sick because they did not judge themselves rightly. Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living.
In solitude we have the opportunity to do a rigorous inventory of our inner life and surface those things that obstruct our intimacy with God.
AW Tozer: “May not the inadequacy of much of our spiritual experience be traced back to our habit of skipping through the corridors of the Kingdom like children in the marketplace, chattering about everything, but pausing to learn the true value of nothing.”
What has helped you cultivate solitude?
Other related posts:
- Developing Your Relationship with God
- Decision #1 Re-order my Private Life (Simplicity)
- Decision # 2 Being Still (Silence)
- 4 Habits Guaranteed to Change Your Life
Photo credit: http://serhatdemiroglu.deviantart.com/art/solitude-102106623
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